INVESTMENT APPROACH

INTRODUCTION TO RICK'S BLOG

My blog posts will be written much like I talk in a casual, conversational tone with a touch of irreverence. When reading my posts, keep in mind that much of my writing will contain opinions, humor, generalizations, and speculations. I'm pretty sure both my 7th grade English teacher, Mrs. Ashley, and my superstar assistant, Amanda, will not approve of some of my contractions and misuses of words. Please inform Amanda of any blatant errors that you feel she should have forced me to correct.

In February, commentators said that the economy was strong, earnings were robust, interest rates were rising and to expect a correction. Through February 9th, the S&P 500 is down 7.2%. The sky is falling and panic has set in.

There are several reasons given for the dramatic change in stock market fortunes...

What are Identity Theft Protection Services and do they work?In a prior blog post, we introduced several tools, credit freezes and fraud alerts, that can be used to help mitigate identity theft, but are there more comprehensive tools out there that monitor all aspects of your financial security? Over the past several years, identity protection services have stepped in to fill this gap. Services such as Lifelock and IdentityForce have become household names over the past couple of years. What are these services and how do they work?

Are Your Investment Accounts Safe? With the recent data breach at Equifax, some 143 million Americans have been made vulnerable. Among the information stolen include names, birthdays, social security numbers, and addresses. With this information out in cyberspace, could a fraudster gain access to your investment accounts or retirement accounts? The answer is…it is unlikely.

Have you been compromised? If you have been paying attention to the news lately, you know that the odds are against you. The current population of the United States is approximately 325 million. Equifax estimates that 143 million Americans were affected by their recent hack. That is approximately 44 percent of the U.S. population....

Easy Ways to Save or Earn Thousands of Dollars a Year

There are many easy ways to save or earn thousands of dollars a year. This post will explore several of these methods such as: how to maximize your deductions and how donating stock or mutual funds to charitable organizations can be more tax efficient than donating cash.

Five Items Every Family MUST HAVE!

The information herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but NBZ does not warrant its completeness or accuracy. Prices, opinions and estimates reflect NBZ's judgment on the date hereof and are subject to change at any time without notice. Any statements nonfactual in nature constitute current opinions, which are subject to change. Projections are not guaranteed and may vary significantly. Any investment strategies presented may not be appropriate for every investor and individual clients should review with their financial advisors the terms and conditions and risk involved with specific products or services. As with all investments, past performance does not indicate future results.